Deadly Kingdom
by lickitysplit
Summary: In order to save Meliodas' soul, Elizabeth must descend into a journey to face herself. Slightly AU, set after manga Chapter 177. Sequel of sorts to 'Seven Days of Sin'. NOW POSTED: Chapter Five: Wrath
1. A Way Into Darkness

**Summary:** In order to save Meliodas' soul, Elizabeth descends into a journey to face herself.

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading! This story should be fairly short, maybe only five or six chapters, so I hope you enjoy. It takes place in the time after Chapter 177, so please be warned for spoilers. This story will probably (most definitely) be AU as new chapters are released! Also, please note there are references in this first chapter to a previous story of mine, _Seven Days of Sin_. This is not a sequel exactly, but if you never read it you might want to check it out if you're wondering about the characters mentioned.

I'd also like to give a shout out to two wonderful friends and writers, woundedowl and BettyBest2, who both put up with my nonsense more than they should.

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 _"He tried to name which of the deadly seven might apply, and when he failed he decided to append an eighth, regret."_  
—Charles Frazier

 **Chapter One: A Way Into Darkness**

Elizabeth has a strange feeling, like déjà vu. She watches out the window as Mama Hawk moves the Boar Hat through new territory. Their goal is to move, and keep moving, as inconspicuously as one can on the back of a giant green pig. But there is something about the trees, something about the road that suddenly looks familiar, even though they are nowhere near any place they had traveled before.

"Hawk?" she calls, not taking her eyes from the window. "Can you ask Mama to stop?"

"I don't know, Elizabeth," he answers. "We're not back at the Forest of White Dreams yet, and everyone says that's the safest place for us to hide out. This was supposed to be only a quick trip out for supplies. If we stop, we are at risk of—"

"I know, I know," she says, frustrated, before turning to her little companion. "I just need to see something. Please?"

Hawk huffs and puffs and runs in a circle before scurrying out of the main room and into the back, where he does whatever it is he does to communicate with his mother. She is relieved as she feels the tavern start to slow, and then stop, and then the familiar rumbling as Mama Hawk digs herself into the ground.

As soon as the Boar Hat settles with a thud, she is out the door, sparing only a quick look around before hurrying down the steps. Suddenly, she thinks she must have been mistaken. They are just trees, just rocks, nothing unusual, nothing unlike every other forest they have passed since leaving Lioness and even before that, as they travelled everywhere.

Elizabeth sighs and looks around, when she notices something out of the corner of her eye. It's just a bird, it's nothing really, but the feeling of déjà vu is all at once so overwhelming she is hurrying into the trees without another thought. She has done this before, she knows she has, and as she makes her way through, she comes to a sudden drop off and remembers.

With a shout, she picks her way down, into the silent and empty town of Cadbury. It had been ages ago, before the Ten Commandments and Camelot and Ishtar and the horrible, horrible festival at Vaizel. It was here they had been cursed—they being the Seven Deadly Sins—and Elizabeth had found the woman who cursed them right in this little, empty town. She had known so much, even knowing things about _Elizabeth_ , that she can't help the flicker of excitement as she finally gets to the bottom and steps into the town.

The feeling that the buildings are all a show is also familiar, and she finds herself moving through the streets in an oddly familiar way. The last time she had been chasing nothing more than a shadow, not paying attention to where she was going and which directions she was choosing. But now she feels a pull, and whether it's been the recent awakening of her powers or her better understanding of the world or just the desperate need for this to be _something_ she cannot say for sure.

"Hello?" she calls, praying for an answer, and not at all surprised when she receives none.

.o0o.

For three days they wait, Hawk more agitated with every passing hour. They need to go, he reminders her, they need to hide before the Ten Commandments can find them. Elizabeth knows that, she understands this terrible risk, but she feels that the least she can do is wait for three days. Three days and three nights seem like a perfectly respectable amount of time, a reasonable length for any magical creatures to present themselves.

As the third day becomes the third evening. Elizabeth allows herself to feel the first pangs of disappointment. There was something about that woman—she assumed it was a woman—something that was familiar and good, even though she had placed such a horrible curse on them and was unable to even lift it properly. She knows this woman can help her. She must know a spell or a fruit or a river they can find that will change the silent figure on the second floor back into the person she loves.

So, she waits, and watches the light blue sky turn grey, then purple, then dark blue. The moon and the stars come out and a tear slips down her cheek. Once again, Elizabeth has failed.

There is a knock on the front door that startles her so badly she screeches and falls off of her stool into an ungraceful and very un-princesslike heap on the floor. She is up on her feet and bolting to the door in an instant, throwing it open as the bell above it tinkles without a thought that this could be a robber, a murderer, a demon even.

It's none of those things. It's a small robed figure, hood drawn over its head, and when the figure tilts her head back Elizabeth nearly laughs in relief. "I thought that was you," the old woman says, her voice like sandpaper.

Elizabeth laughs in her delight and excitement, asking her to come in and sit down and allow her to take her coat. The woman agrees to the first two offers but declines the third. She hurries behind the bar to get her some refreshments, but then pauses, wondering what she would drink. "I—I don't suppose you would…" She trails off, suddenly unsure and embarrassed.

Hawk is running into the room, shouting for Elizabeth. "Who was that?" he squeals. He pulls up short when he sees the woman. "Oh no, not her again! Elizabeth, run, I'll protect you!"

Elizabeth tries to shush him, but is interrupted. "What are you doing here?" the woman asks brusquely, and both Hawk and Elizabeth stop their arguments at her tone.

"I need help," she answers in a small voice. "I need someone to help me, and when I was last here, you helped me, even though it wasn't exactly the way I expected it." Elizabeth jumps, startled at her own confession, a blush rising to her cheeks.

"Not what you expected?" the woman barks at her. "It was exactly as I described." Impatiently she waves Elizabeth over. "Come here and let me take a look."

"No, Elizabeth!" Hawk yells, but she must do this, and waves a hand at the pig to shush him.

With a deep breath Elizabeth moves back around the bar to stand in front of the woman awkwardly. She grips Elizabeth's chin, pulling her down until their faces are even, and she tilts her head one way, then the other, her eyes flicking briefly to the little mark still there from the snake bite she received in Vaizel. She pulls down Elizabeth's lower lip, inspecting her teeth for a moment, before reaching both hands up to feel her hair. Her fingers slide through her bangs, falling still against the sides of her face, and for several minutes she stares into her eyes, making Elizabeth frightened and nervous and excited all at the same time. Finally she grabs Elizabeth's hands, examining the palms and tracing her finger along one line after another, the sensation tickling a bit.

"I don't remember inviting you back," she says, and Elizabeth jumps at the sound. "Easily startled, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth answers quickly.

"For what?"

"For coming here uninvited. And for being startled."

The woman gives a laugh so harsh it sounds painful, as if her throat was filled with glass. "You are something all right. I've never seen one quite like you." She ignores Elizabeth's puzzled face as she continues, "All right, I can't exactly say no to you, can I? What do you want?"

Elizabeth steels her courage. "Sir Meliodas—"

"I know about all that," she says impatiently. "He's upstairs dead, isn't he? I could tell that from ten miles out. And your story is plain in your palm, so no need to bore an old woman to death. I asked what you _want_. If you would just answer the question, I can get back to what I was doing."

Her fingers twitch as she rubs her palms, wondering how much the woman could have actually seen in them. "I don't understand," she whispers, apologetically.

Huffing again, the woman growls, "What do you _want_ , girl, what do you _want_? Do you want to go back in time? Do you want to go see him in the land of the dead? Do you want to die too?"

"No, none of those things," she says quickly. "I want…" Elizabeth whispers, afraid of who might hear her request. "I want him to come back."

"Is that all? How boring." The woman stands slowly, stretching the stiffness from her limbs. "That is easy enough to do, although—"

"Really?" Elizabeth exclaims. She jumps and claps her hands, too excited to be embarrassed by the display. "You can do that?"

The woman tilts her head. "Luckily for you, his soul is the kind that can come back. If it was somebody else, I'd say it was impossible."

Elizabeth's hands clutch her chest as her mind spins. She did it, she found help, and now Sir Meliodas would be back with her again! "Thank you!" she cries. "How can I ever repay you?"

"Don't thank me yet," the woman laughs. "I meant it would be easy for me, not you. As for payment, you'll have to owe me something. Agreed?"

Hawk is shouting at her again to stop, to _think_ , but Elizabeth is agreeing with her without pause. Her heart is beating so quickly, her pulse racing so fast at the idea that he will be back with her again that she feels lightheaded. She nearly misses what the woman says next because of the rushing in her ears. "There's somewhere you will go, and if you follow the directions then you can bring him back. I'll leave you a map."

Elizabeth goes to find paper, but instead she reaches out and grabs her. She pulls up the sleeve of her shirt and traces her finger over the princess' arm. Elizabeth's eyes go wide as she watches a map being branded painlessly against her skin. When it is done, she pulls her arm up to stare at it, fascinated.

"Where do I—" she asks, lowering her arm, but the woman is gone.

.o0o.

Elizabeth spends the rest of the night puzzling out the marks on her arm. She finally decides that they must refer to Cadbury, and leaves the Boar Hat at daybreak to make her way back to the town. Hawk insists on accompanying her, and they walk once more through the silent streets.

She looks from her arm, back up to her surroundings, back down again, over and over but unable to match anything to anything. She spends all morning searching and searching, walking up and down every street three or four or ten times. As noon approaches Hawk begins to whine about lunch, and Elizabeth reluctantly agrees that maybe a snack and a rest will help clear her head and help her work out the map.

As they climb back up towards the Boar Hat, Elizabeth thinks she hears her name and looks back over her shoulder in alarm. That's when she sees it. The roofs of the fake houses and the fake stores are laid out in a pattern, one that she never noticed before because it had never been pointed out. But it has been pointed out, pointed out right on her arm, and her chest begins to heave as the realization that she knows _exactly_ where to go hits her.

She does not wait for the squealing Hawk, but runs as fast as she can towards the one building tucked away among all the other buildings, the one she walked by a thousand times. She races as fast as she can up and down the streets, her heart thumping with exertion and excitement, until she skids to a halt in front of a dark and lopsided door.

Carefully, Elizabeth peels the door open, coughing as dust balloons around her. She steps inside even more cautiously, and it's a good thing too, because instead of a room the door has opened to steps that stretch down into the darkness. She is afraid, more afraid than she has been in a long time, but her need to make this happen outweighs that by miles. Elizabeth steels her courage and begins her descent.

As the stairs go on and on, the bit of light shining through the open door behind her gets dimmer and dimmer until she is in a blackout. The only sound is the tap of her shoes on the stone, the panting of her breath, and a dripping somewhere distant. She tentatively feels for each step, praying that she does not fall, and begins to count.

She loses count around three hundred, giving a little curse she had heard Ban use one time and had stored up for such an occasion. What had made her lose her place was the feeling of a little breeze against her cheek, which had startled her in the still, stale air of the stairwell. Elizabeth picks up her pace slightly, moving as fast as she dared, and yes, there was another breeze, then another, until the air actually starts to feel cleaner somehow.

It is still pitch dark, and when she reaches the bottom of the steps, she gives a startled, "Oh!" It doesn't echo as she predicted it would. Elizabeth waits, holding her breath for a minute that stretches on and on, before she tries a small, "Hello?"

"Elizabeth Lioness," a voice answers, and Elizabeth screams and clutches the wall. She is so angry with herself for her ridiculous reaction, but she saves the harshest chastisement because it really was so incredibly frightening.

"Yes," she breathes, her lungs straining to work properly.

"You are here for your heart's desire," the voice says.

She supposes that is true. "I want Sir Meliodas—"

"You must ask yourself, then."

"Ask myself? What does that mean?" Elizabeth takes a tentative step forward, one hand bracing against the wall.

No answer comes, so she takes another step, then another. "Hello?" She reaches out, and her fingers brush something both strange and familiar. Her hand wraps around it, and instinctively she turns it, and opens a door.


	2. Sloth-Gluttony

Perseverance: _"Let us not become weary in doing good"_ (Galatians 6:9)  
Prudence: _"In everything, the prudent acts with knowledge"_ (Proverbs 13:16)

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 **Chapter Two: Sloth/Gluttony**

Elizabeth steps inside and the door slams shut behind her. Immediately she is blistered by an overwhelming assault on her senses: a bright light forces her to cover her eyes; the sounds and shouts of dozens upon dozens of people surround her; she feels and smells people walking hurriedly by, some knocking into her.

Her eyes finally adjust and she slowly lowers her arm. The scene before her makes her gasp. She is in Lioness Castle, in the courtyard, and there are people _everywhere_. Soldiers run back and forth, shouting at one another, most carrying wounded men and women in to lay on the ground. The injured surround her, their cries and screams filling the air, and as she turns in horror their hands raise up to reach for help, their heads move violently back and forth in agony, their limbs jolt as bandages are pressed against them. Men and women and children huddle next the bodies, caring for wounds and screaming for help and crying for the dead. Even more terrifying are those that do not move at all.

She chokes on dust and heat and the smell of blood. Pressing her face into the bend of her elbow, she coughs as she tries to make some sense of what is happening. She was just in Cadbury, wasn't she? There was a staircase, and then a voice, and a door—

 _Of course_. This must be something she must do. The old woman said it would not be easy, so this must be the way she earns her heart's desire. This is how she can win Meliodas back.

There is blast somewhere in the distance, and the screaming somehow gets louder, the Holy Knights shouting at one another as they drop the dying on the ground and hurry back to the battle. Quickly Elizabeth steadies herself and moves to the first person she sees. She drops to her knees and takes one soiled hand in hers, placing the other on the man's forehead. She closes her eyes and wishes him well, imagining her light and power streaming into him through her touch.

She can feel the man stir a moment later, and as she opens her eyes, she sees him looking at her. "Princess? What—" Elizabeth shakes her head and smiles, relieved that it worked, and then stands, moving to the next patient. This one is covered in blood, and she removes his helmet as he moans in agony. She places her palms against the sides of his head and repeats her work, pressing her healing wish into him. The bleeding stops and the man begins to breathe easier, so she moves to the next body. She heals him in turn, and then moves on to the next, then the next, then the next…

Elizabeth sits back and takes a deep, steadying breath. Her arms shake slightly, aching from her powers surging through them. As she looks around, she realizes more people have been brought in, and those that she has healed already have been replaced with more sick and dying.

For a fraction of a section, she hesitates. How can she ever hope to help them all? Their cries turn her heart and the sight turns her stomach. It would be easier to just stop, to get back into the castle and see if there is something to be done to stop the fighting. Maybe this isn't her task at all, and she is wasting time when she could be finding Meliodas. But that thought only lasts for a fleeting moment before she pushes it away. There are people here, _now_ , that need her help.

As she moves to the next person, her heart twists to see it is a young man, with wild blonde hair, and for a moment her eyes even flicker to his left arm to check for the dragon. Of course it is not there, and she shakes away the sorrow that threatens to bring her mind crashing down as she lifts him in her arms. He gives a soft moan as she pushes her powers into him. His head turns and presses on her shoulder in search of comfort, and Elizabeth feels her powers falter for a moment. She must get a hold of herself. Losing herself to emotion will be a death sentence to this boy and countless others.

"Princess Elizabeth?" a small voice says, and she looks up to see a young girl standing over her, wringing her hands. "Can you please come and help my mother?"

She checks on the young man in her arms. He breathes easily in a healing sleep, so she gently lays him back down on the ground. "Of course," Elizabeth says, starting to stand. But as she rises, others call for her too. She looks around frantically, her heart in turmoil as she tries to decide who to go to first. She is engulfed in their pain, and she asks them to wait, assuring them all she is coming and will help them all. "Princess Elizabeth! Princess Elizabeth!" they cry out for her, hands reaching out to her, and as she reaches for one, the girl takes her other hand and tugs on it hard. "Princess!" the girl cries. "You promised! You have to help my mother!"

Elizabeth nods, turning sorrowful eyes back to the man grabbing her hand desperately. "I-I'm sorry," she manages as the girl pulls her away. Her heart stutters as the screams follow her, and the girl weaves her through the crowd to where a woman lay on the ground. Three young children surround her, and the girl pushes her closer. "Please, princess!" she cries.

She nods and crouches down next to the woman. She places a hand on her forehead, pressing her healing forward, as her eyes trace down the woman's body. There is blood soaking her arms and her stomach, and Elizabeth's own stomach turns at the sight of such a grievous injury. She catches her breath in her throat and closes her eyes, willing the woman to be healed with every ounce of her spirit, as her children cry desperately for their mother.

Suddenly a hand catches hers, and Elizabeth's eyes fly open. The woman gazes at her intently. "Don't leave me!" she begs, but Elizabeth can see that her wound is healed, and the cries of the others carry over to her through the air.

"You'll be all right," she assures her. "I must go." The woman clutches her tightly, but Elizabeth shakes her off and stands again. Now there are more people surrounding her, all shouting at her, begging and pleading for her to come to them _first_ , they are in _most_ need, _praying_ to her for help. For a moment she is disoriented, and she stumbles as someone tugs her arm as another is pulling on the skirt of her dress. One after another, they pull her in every direction, and Elizabeth is pouring her powers into as many as she can.

But every time she stands, there are more screams, more blood, more bodies pulling and clawing at her. No matter how many she saves, no matter how many are healed, there are always more calling for her help. And now they are getting angry; the fear and the heat and the bedlam that surrounds them all turning the crowd with a renewed frenzy. Shouting soldiers run through the courtyard, bringing more and more of the wounded, and Elizabeth feels as though this will never end, not until every soul in Britannia is dying and begging at her feet. They all want her, and Elizabeth gives what she has, knowing it will never be enough.

She begins to feel despair, and it threatens her with a menacing glee. _I can't do this_ , she thinks, placing her hands on one person after another as they crush against her from all sides. Elizabeth is overcome with their pain, feeling it herself, taking in their wounds and agony even as she gives out her own healing light. Every part of her hurts; her heart aches with each cry; and Elizabeth begins to feel as though she will be overrun not by the misery surrounding her, but rather her own weakness.

Yet she continues, seeing Meliodas in the face of each person, reminding herself that she is doing this for _him_. The torture of this place will be worth it to hear his voice and feel his warmth and see his eyes look into her own again. Her throat is raw, her eyes blurry from the dust kicking up in the air. Her arms and hands are coated in dirt and blood and her dress is blackened from her work. Elizabeth wipes at her sweating brow, pushing her hair back in clumps. Each person she saves takes another sliver of her strength, and the faces and voices and injuries begin to blend together in one. For hours she presses on, working through the crush of people, before she hears a familiar voice.

Elizabeth looks up wearily, her bleary vision scanning the crowd for the owner of that voice. She is healing two children, one cradled in each arm, and with her concentration broken they both cry out in pain, snatching her focus back to them. Their desperate parents hover nearby, scolding her for taking so long, wanting their children healed _now_. With an apology she finishes her task, blocking out the voice that shouts her name, even though she knows it; if she could just _concentrate_ she can identify who it is…

There is a whisper in her mind, that sounds just like her own voice, but Elizabeth wonders if it truly is. _Just leave them_ , it tells her. _You cannot save them all_. She hands the bawling children back to their parents and slowly climbs to her feet. She is drained, utterly defeated by her own shortcomings, her own exhaustion. She knows she must stop, she must just rest for one minute. But there are more dying, more that need comfort, and Elizabeth searches deep within herself for another reserve of strength, terrified that she is empty. "I have to keep going," she says to no one, trying to sound strong and determined; but she does not believe her own words, and that scares her more than anything she has seen.

A hand catches her arm, and Elizabeth nearly shakes off the person, suddenly irritated that these people won't stop grabbing her. "Elizabeth!" a frantic voice cries. It's the one from before, and she whirls around, nearly sobbing as she sees it's Diane.

"Lady Diane!" she cries and goes to throw her arms around the woman, who is human-sized, but Diane stops her.

"Elizabeth, what are you doing?" she says harshly. "We don't have time for this. You need to come with me, now!"

Elizabeth shakes her head but follows, steeling herself for what is to come. The dying reach out for her as she hurries by, and she looks at her feet, not wanting to see the bodies that stretch for miles in all directions. Diane is practically dragging her across the courtyard, and when they finally stop she is out of breath.

Diane presses her to the ground and Elizabeth nearly collapses from weariness. She lifts her tired eyes and chokes in distress when she sees it is King. His arms are wrapped around his midsection, and she has difficulty swallowing as her eyes slide down the blood and gore covering him. King's eyes are closed as he struggles for each breath, puffing the air from his lungs in what can only be extreme pain. This will take all of her strength to heal. The dread of pushing herself again, of giving all of herself _again_ , fills her completely and Elizabeth cannot stop herself from whimpering. She knows that it may finish her, that she herself may not survive this final task, but what else can she do?

"Help him, Elizabeth!" Diane screams, pulling her from her shock. With a nod she reaches for his face, but then King hisses, " _No_."

It's so quiet, Elizabeth thinks for a moment that she imagined it. But when her fingers graze his skin, he bites out forcefully, "No!"

"It's me," she says with a shaking voice. Gingerly she tilts his face so he can look at her. "It's Elizabeth. Just lay still and—"

"No," he gasps as another tremor rocks through him. "Don't do anything. I want to die."

She freezes, utterly stunned. Behind her, Diane is screaming, "Elizabeth! What are you waiting for?", over the shouts and cries from the dying. Elizabeth does not answer, instead listening to the thundering in her ears as her blood pounds, her heart racing in dismay. Her vision clouds for a moment as the idea of _not_ saving him, of watching him die, flashes in her mind. She begins to shake as she imagines the light going out of his eyes, and frantically she moves her hands to cup his face. It is now critical that she saves him, because she cannot let him do this, she cannot face Diane and Ban and Meliodas when they find out that King is dead, and she did nothing. She could never look in the mirror again.

"Sir King," she whispers, but he croaks, " _I don't want you to save me_." His words are so earnest, and his eyes implore her to understand, to give him the release he wants. Inside, Elizabeth feels as though she is being torn in two.

Her hands tremble as Diane crouches down across from her. "Elizabeth, you have to save him," she urges frantically.

"But—but he—" Elizabeth cannot finish, cannot find the words.

"Do it!" Diane screams. Elizabeth is jolted by the mania creeping into her voice, her body stiffening almost painfully as she braces herself against Diane's hands reaching towards her. What will Diane do to her if she allows King to die? She grabs Elizabeth's hands and pushes them onto his shoulders. "He's dying, Elizabeth!"

King shakes his head, his eyes glazed in pain. "No, I don't—" He is wracked with a fit of coughs, and blood leaks from his mouth.

Elizabeth screws her determination and presses her palms against his chest. Her healing moves through her hands and into him, and King cries out at her, "Elizabeth! Don't!"

She yanks her hands back, afraid she has hurt him, and now Diane is protesting, "Heal him! Heal him now!"

"I—I can't—" Elizabeth looks at her hands, nearly black with streaks of grime. She has so little left, she doubts that it is even enough to heal him, and there are _so many_ more. Her head turns towards the cries of the others suffering, many of whom are calling her name, screaming at her to help.

"Elizabeth," Diane says coldly. She looks up at her friend, and feels herself crumple at the pain in her face. "If you don't heal him, I'll never forgive you."

Elizabeth's hands ball into fists as she drops her head down, her chin touching her chest. She is so incredibly _tired_ , not feeling such exhaustion since her days walking across Lioness in the giant rusted armor. The fatigue and the fear and the waste of it all has frayed her nerves, and hearing Diane's threat brings fresh tears to her eyes. She cannot betray Diane like this. She cannot be the reason for her pain. Elizabeth believes that she will never, ever be forgiven.

She swallows around the lump in her throat as she pulls up the last reserves of her power. It is almost painful as she practically scrapes together her will to continue. Elizabeth wants to choose to save him, to save all of them, every last citizen that is wailing in pain and suffering all around her. She wants to give him life, give them _all_ life. With another glance at his wounds, it becomes clear to her that this will be impossible. King will die without her intervention. But so will everyone else. How can she sacrifice so many for one? How can she not? How can she be expected to decide who lives and who dies?

She shakes her head, looking back down at the dying King. His face twists with another wave of pain, and without even realizing it she is pressing her powers towards him again. Again he protests. "Let me go," he says, looking at her with determination now. "I've been here long enough. I want to see my sister."

"I don't know what to do," she whispers.

 _You must choose_ , a voice says into her ear, and Elizabeth's startled eyes widen. _Choose before he dies._

"Choose?" she cries. Her chest heaves with panic. _She_ has to make the right choice?

Elizabeth looks up at Diane. "Please," she sobs, and suddenly it's as if a floodgate has been opened. "Please don't let him die." She clutches the front of her dress as she watches Diane break down, not bothering to wipe her tears as she weeps. Elizabeth can feel her own tears welling in her eyes, and as they slip down her cheeks she looks back at King.

She reaches out and takes one of hands, which are pressing against his chest. "King," she says, pleading, "please let me heal you."

She allows just a sliver of her power to slip into him, and King moans. "No," he groans. "Please, I don't want this."

"He doesn't know what he's saying," Diane shouts at her. Elizabeth can see the giantess' hands are shaking even as she grips his shoulder. "Save him, now!"

Elizabeth moves her own hands off from his, maintaining only a tiny bit of contact. She brushes his hair back, his skin hot from fever, and King looks at her, beseeching her with his eyes. His breathing stutters, and suddenly she realizes she has made her choice. Her power flows forward, this time not to heal, but to simply take his pain away, allowing him to ease into death without fear.

Instead of healing light, she gives him comfort. She thinks of King with all of them, and how happy they all were together. The picture of him and Meliodas together pierces her heart, but she ignores the stabbing pain to push the image towards him. More memories come unbidden to her mind, and Elizabeth weeps silently as she settles into her own grief, knowing that this is the right thing. King was always so kind, so loyal, ready to give his life for any of them, and she will give him this, his final wish.

King's eyes slide closed and Elizabeth cries over him. Her tears slip down her face and fall on them both. She can feel his heartbeat slow and stop as he exhales for a final time. The sounds of the others, the soldiers and the explosions and the screams of the dying, are all muffled as she is filled with the grief of watching King die. The knowledge that this is another person she loves is gone, another person she could not save is _dead_ , stabs her sharply in the stomach.

 _You could have saved him_ , the voice says. _You let him die._

"No," she whispers, suddenly unsure. Did she make the right choice? Isn't this what he wanted?

" _You let him DIE!_ " Diane screams, and Elizabeth snaps her eyes up to her. All of a sudden she is assaulted again by the heat and the noise and the misery surrounding her. People are crying and screaming her name, and she can feel the hands tugging at her again, but all Elizabeth can focus on is the rage in her friend's eyes, the way she snarls at her, and Elizabeth is all at once very, very afraid.

"He—he didn't want me to…" Her voice trails off as someone grabs her arm, and she yanks it away. "Please, just give me a minute…" Elizabeth looks back down at King in a panic. _Isn't this what he wanted_?

"You could have saved him," Diane accuses with a tremble in her voice.

"But he wanted to die!" Elizabeth cries out. Another hand grabs at her, another voice yells her name, but Elizabeth ignores them and leans forward, reaching out for Diane. She needs her to understand, but Diane slaps her hands away. The stare at each other for a long moment, both women crying, and then Diane launches herself at Elizabeth.

With a cry Elizabeth is knocked to the ground, and Diane's hands are around her neck. "I'll kill you!" she screams at her through her tears. "You could have saved him! You could have saved his life!"

Her fingers squeeze the breath from her and Elizabeth tries to fight, but Diane is too strong. Desperately Elizabeth pushes on her hands, trying to pry them away. Diane's face looms over her, all traces of her friend gone, replaced only with hate as she screams at her, choking the last of her life away. Within moments she begins to spin, the lack of oxygen causing spots to come to her vision, and she closes her eyes.

The voice whispers in her mind again. _Sloth and gluttony_ , it says. _Perseverance_ _and prudence_. Elizabeth does not understand, however, and slowly, painfully, she feels the life leave her body.


	3. Greed-Envy

Sacrifice: _"There is no greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends"_ (John 15:13)  
Loyalty: _"He who pursues righteousness and loyalty finds life, righteousness, and honor"_ (Proverbs 21:21)

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 **Chapter Three: Greed/Envy**

Elizabeth wakes. Her eyes train on the familiar ceiling above her bed, and she sucks in a huge breath, shaking off an incredibly frightening dream. She turns her head and looks out the window, seeing the familiar countryside surrounding the Boar Hat, and listens to the ordinary sounds of Meliodas softly snoring next to her—

 _Meliodas_. Suddenly her eyes are open and she bolts into a sitting position, looking over with a lurching heart at his spot on the bed. There he is, sleeping soundly, and Elizabeth chokes back a sob as she becomes mesmerized by the soft rise and fall of his chest. A hand goes to her mouth, and she feels the tears start to well in her eyes. She has done it, she brought him back, and Elizabeth feels as though she can explode with happiness, as though her chest will burst with the excitement that fills her.

Then his eyes open, and he looks at her, and Elizabeth knows that she will never feel as overjoyed as she does in this moment. He smiles and sits up, and she launches herself across the bed, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her face against his chest. She needs to know that this is real, that he is really here, really alive, and only the touch of his warm skin and the sound of his beating heart will make her believe this to be true.

She does not even realize she is crying until he brings his hands to her face, tilting it up so he can look at down at her, and he wipes away her tears with his thumbs. "Elizabeth," he breathes, and her name sounds almost magical, his voice extraordinary.

He holds her for a long time, and they settle in together, not even speaking. Elizabeth props her head on his shoulder as he leans against the pillows, her fingers tightening against his back periodically to test that he is still there with her. Meliodas strokes her hair and her arms, one leg wrapped between hers as her body curls against his. She breathes easily, the first content moment she has had since this entire nightmare began.

"Elizabeth," he says again, and she tilts her head, bringing her eyes to meet his. They are so warm, so full of love and life that her stomach flutters and her hands press against him to steady herself. "Thank you," he whispers, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

Her eyelids slide closed, her heart thumping inside her chest. "I'm so glad you are here," she says. "I needed you to come back. I need you with me."

He brushes her cheek again and she opens her eyes. "I'll always come back to you," he says with a smile.

Elizabeth tries to speak, wanting to tell him so badly how she feels, but she stutters on her words as her mind is overwhelmed. Then Meliodas tilts her chin up slightly, and he brings his lips down to hers, brushing his mouth against her, barely grazing her. She shivers in anticipation, frozen as she waits for him to seal them together in a kiss.

Instead, he brushes his thumb over her bottom lip, his warm breath fanning against her cheek, making her heart skip a beat. "I love you," he says.

It is the most thrilling, most wonderful moment, one she had ever only dreamed of, one she had not dared to even wish for after watching him die so horribly. Her chest constricts, her hands tremble, and her blood rushes through her head and her body, making her dizzy and elated and frightened all at the same time. It is overwhelming and lovely and all that she had ever hoped for, this perfect moment with him.

"I love you," she answers back, barely managing a whisper. His thumb slides from her lower lip and down her chin before gliding along her jaw. Elizabeth's breath catches and Meliodas sweeps his lips against the corner of her mouth, touching her like a whisper. "I won't ever let you go," he murmurs softly.

There is a sound from downstairs, and a shout, and Meliodas sighs. "Let me go see what they want," he says, sitting up and untangling himself from her hold. "Why don't you get dressed and come downstairs?"

Elizabeth nods her agreement, still feeling in a daze from his confession, the way he had held her and kissed her so gently. She can still picture the tender way he had looked at her, still feel his warm hands as he caressed her as she removes her uniform and puts on a clean one.

Suddenly, Elizabeth pauses. She went to bed in a uniform? It must have been the one she wore exploring Cadbury, she decides. Yet that doesn't seem right, not really, and for a moment she tries to remember what her dream had been about. What exactly had she done in the town to get Meliodas back in the end? It's all a blur of heat and noise and pain, and Elizabeth's throat constricts without understanding why. But then carefully, slowly, she pulls her sleeve up, and to her horror she sees the map still burned into the skin of her arm.

She rushes to the window and looks outside. There is no sign of the town, no drop off, no familiar clearing in the trees. In fact, she can see the walls of the capital city, but that doesn't make any sense. Cadbury had been _miles_ from the city, in the middle of nowhere really, and the forest had grown around the empty town, hiding it from any visitors or onlookers. Outside of the Boar Hat, the ground is even, and empty, as if all of the trees had been cut down. Smoke looks to be rising from somewhere in the distance, from inside of the city.

Filled with a sudden fear, Elizabeth steps back from the window and hurries downstairs. To her surprise she sees Meliodas standing in the main room of the tavern with Gilthunder and Margaret. "Elizabeth!" her sister cries, rushing over to her and sweeping her into a hug. "I've been looking everywhere. Are you all right?"

"Of course," she says, frowning. "Why wouldn't I be? What's wrong?"

"The Ten Commandments are attacking Lioness Castle," Gilthunder says. "We are trying to evacuate the people, and we need help."

"Of course we'll help," Elizabeth says, but to her surprise, Meliodas shakes his head no. "We aren't going back there. We're leaving."

Elizabeth gasps, and Gilthunder says forcefully, "You can't be serious! We need you to fight!"

Meliodas folds his arms. "I'm done fighting. I've done enough fighting for a hundred lifetimes. I'm taking Elizabeth, and I'm leaving."

Her mouth drops open, and she cannot even think as she stares at him. Margaret clutches her arm, her fingers digging into her skin, and Elizabeth turns her confused expression to her sister. "What are you saying?" Margaret asks with a biting tone. "You won't come?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Meliodas shrugs. "You can come with us, if you'd like. If you go back to the castle, you'll only die."

Gilthunder shakes, his armor clanging as his hand goes to the hilt of his sword. "You would leave us _all_ to die, then. Even the rest of the Sins. Even the king himself."

"No!" Elizabeth cries as Meliodas shrugs again. He looks at her with a blank expression, placing his hands behind his head nonchalantly. She shakes off her sister and moves to grab Meliodas by the shoulders. "We have to go back. We have to help."

Meliodas smiles up at her, and her heart flutters a bit at the incredibly tender look in his eyes. "Elizabeth, we just found each other again. Do you really want to go back to that? Do you really want to watch me die, again?"

Suddenly she remembers the castle, and the dirt and death and screaming that had surrounded her there. She remembers the faces of the men and women and children she had healed, and the cries of those she had not. She remembers Diane, and King, and the awful choice that she was forced to make on his behalf. She remembers the agony in Diane's face, and the hatred in her eyes as she had wrapped her hands around Elizabeth's neck.

This is another test, she realizes. This is not the Boar Hat, this is not Cadbury, this is more of the nightmare that started that night in Vaizel. A breath catches in her throat as she looks at Meliodas. That means this is not him, either. Does that mean she failed the last test? Is she doomed to repeat this torment forever?

 _But he loves you_ , her voice whispers in her mind. _This is what you wanted_.

She can't stop staring at him, and he gazes lovingly back at her, and the front door slams. She looks up and sees they are alone, and Elizabeth rushes to the window to catch Margaret and Gilthunder walking away. The princess weeps into her hands, and Gilthunder stops and holds her tightly, running a soothing hand along her back. Elizabeth's stomach drops at the sight, seeing the outpouring of love for one another, the moving way he comforts her even as she pulls him up against her. _That_ is what she wants, what she has always wanted: for Meliodas to return her love, for them to draw strength from one another.

"Sir Meliodas," she says, turning around, "we have to go and help."

He looks at her a long moment before heaving a sigh. "And do what, Elizabeth?" he says as he walks towards her. "We cannot stop the Ten Commandments. Even I could not stop them. Everyone who faces them becomes a slave, or dies. If we go back now that's exactly what will happen to us."

"But we can't just leave everyone!" she cries. To her mortification, tears begin to well in her eyes. "King—King _died_ fighting them, and now you're saying his death was in vain?"

"King is dead?" Meliodas' face twists for a moment before returning to its typically smooth expression. "He made his choice. So did the others. Now I am making mine."

He turns to head into the back room. Elizabeth frantically tries to think, and finally bursts out, "If you won't go, then I will!"

Meliodas draws up short, tilting his head to speak over his shoulder, "Then you'll have killed me too." His words hang heavily in the silence of the room before he continues, "The magic doesn't work like that. The only way I can stay here, the only way I can live, is to be tied to something else." He turns his body so he can look at her fully in the face. "I chose you, Elizabeth. You are the reason why I am living. That's why I can't go and fight, and I can't risk you either. I chose a life with you over the Seven Deadly Sins."

"Meliodas," she breathes, her mind whirling. Is this true? Is this how this really works? She tries to focus, unable to figure out if this is real or a dream, if she is still at the bottom of the staircase or only steps away from the castle. "I didn't want you to have to give up everything."

It becomes harder to concentrate now because he has moved to stand next to her, one hand circling her waist while the the other reaches up to brush her hair back over her shoulder. "I didn't give up anything I didn't want to," Meliodas tells her. He kisses her cheek, and Elizabeth can feel herself weakening at his touch. "Will you stay with me?" he asks her.

There is a scream from outside, and Elizabeth whips her head to the window. A red demon has descended on the field. Margaret is behind Gilthunder, clutching him fearfully as he tries his best to fight it off. Shocks of electricity fly from his sword at the demon, but it seems to have no effect. Then, it advances, and Elizabeth watches in horror as its razored talons shred through them both. Her sister and the Holy Knight both crumple to the ground in bloody heaps.

"Margaret!" she screams, but Meliodas grips her arm tightly and pulls her back as she tries to run. "Let me go! I have to save them!"

He stands firm and calm against Elizabeth's wildness. "If you go out there, you will die. Then, I will die too." Meliodas' voice chills, breaking through the frenzied panic in her mind. "Is that what you want? Do you want to kill me?"

She gasps and looks at him, breathing heavily to keep herself from breaking into sobs. "If you loved me you would save them," she says.

"If you loved me, you would leave them," he replies.

Elizabeth looks back out the window. Gilthunder is struggling to stand, his body draped over Margaret's, and he holds a shield up to protect them from the next strike by the demon. The weight of its claws press down and shatter the metal, and Gilthunder falls in a heap from the pressure.

They are going to die, Elizabeth can see it clearly. The demon will break Gilthunder's body, and then it will rip her sister to shreds. Her body shakes with fear for those that she loves, and her sister's screams send bolts of terror through her. She will have to watch it all unfold, just like the death she witnessed in the castle, and she is powerless to stop it.

 _She_ might be powerless, but Meliodas is not, she realizes. He has the power to stop this thing, to save her sister. "You can only live for one thing?" she asks him, her voice trembling.

"Yes," he says, pulling her closer, and his face nuzzles divinely against her chest. The vibrations of his lips on her skin draw her in, but she shakes her head to clear it.

Pushing him away with a twinge of heartache, Elizabeth says, "Then I want you to live for them."

Meliodas jerks backwards a bit, a deep frown on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"You said you gave up the Seven Deadly Sins, for me," she answers. She concentrates on keeping her emotions in check and her voice even. "Well, I don't want you to. I want you to live for them, and to fight for them."

"Elizabeth, what are you saying?" He moves towards her again, reaching out to hold her, but Elizabeth sidesteps him, holding out a hand to keep him away. "Don't you want to be with me?"

The pain in his face sends a knife into her chest. "I—I do, but—"

"Then why are you sending me away?" His voice wavers with a mixture of hurt and anger. There are tears swimming in his eyes, and Elizabeth looks away. "Tell me, Elizabeth! Tell me why!"

 _You are hurting him_ , the voice whispers. _Just when you had him back._

Her chest constricts with misery. She has him back, he's right here, and he _loves_ her; all she has to do is say the word and they can leave all of the death and the terror behind. There is another horrible scream from outside, and she hears Gilthunder shout, but Elizabeth pictures a life somewhere else. She can share this life with Meliodas, they can spend their days happy and together and in peace, just as he had promised her, just as they had both always wanted.

But it's not to be, and Elizabeth makes her choice. She must hurt him, now.

"I don't love you," she says. Her eyes are on the floor, her hands clutched tightly to her stomach. "I thought I did, but I don't."

"You're lying," he shouts, nearly snarling at her, making her jump at the sound. "You brought me back. You _saved_ me. I know you love me." He moves in front of her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "Why are you doing this?"

Elizabeth squeezes her eyes shut, desperate not to look at him, afraid he'll see the lie in her eyes. "I was just fulfilling my debt. You saved my life, so now I've saved yours. We are even, and that is all."

"No, Elizabeth," he pleads, the anguish obvious in his voice, and she can practically hear her heart breaking at the sound of his misery. "Please don't do this. I'll do anything."

She tries to step away, but he holds her tighter, wrapping his arms around her back and pressing his head into her shoulder. She can feel his hot tears on her neck, and her breath catches as she tries not to sob, tries not to reach out and hold him and tell him that she loves him just to make this stop. Instead, Elizabeth stiffens in his grasp, and pulls away. "Elizabeth," he whimpers before heaving another sob.

 _You'll need to look him in the eye for this._

Elizabeth nods and wrenches herself away. He raises his swollen eyes to her, and even as her heart twists she takes a slow, deep breath, concentrating on keeping her expression calm, and cold. "You are a demon," she says slowly. "I could never, ever love you."

There is a long, terrible moment as the words hand there between them, and Elizabeth realizes she will never, ever be able to take them back. She wants to cry out for him, to reach out and pull him back into that wonderful embrace, but the hurt in his eyes goes from shock to agony to fury. He gives a feral scream and slams his hand down on a table, splintering it into pieces, before flying past her and stalking out the door. The front door is ripped away in his wrath, and then he is gone.

Elizabeth is stunned, unable to speak or think or even move. The sounds of fighting outside travel through the window, and she takes a deep, shuddering breath, praying that her sister is all right. The demon roars, and she hears Meliodas call out an attack, and she is suddenly drained of strength, sitting heavily down on a stool at a table.

The fight goes on outside, but inside the Boar Hat, Elizabeth is frozen. She wonders if this is real. What if she wakes up tomorrow in an empty bed? What if she comes downstairs and finds Meliodas gone, the door in pieces on the floor?

What if she finds his body upstairs again, cold and still and silent?

She could have chosen to go with him, and something tells her that if she had made that choice, she and Meliodas could have had a life of peace together. But that meant stepping over her sister's corpse to get there. She could not allow her to die. She could not allow _him_ to abandon them all.

Suddenly the tavern shakes, and the walls are pulled apart with a roar. The roof gives way and Elizabeth falls from her seat, covered in splinters and dust and coughing as chunks of wood slam into her from above. She looks up where the ceiling used to be and sees the red demon looking down at her with a huge, empty grin.

 _Greed and envy_ , the voice whispers in her mind. _Sacrifice and loyalty_.

Of course, she understands. Meliodas left to fight with the Sins, to fulfill his loyalty to Lioness and its people. In doing so, he abandoned her to her own fate.

The demon makes quick work of tearing the building apart, and as the rest of the Boar Hat crashes down around her, Elizabeth shuts out the noise and the pain and is only glad. She does not want a life without Meliodas in it, so let it end now, she decides.


	4. Lust-Pride

Wisdom and Humility: _"When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but with humility comes wisdom"_ (Proverbs 11:2)

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 **Chapter Four: Lust/Pride**

"Hey! What are you doing down there?"

Elizabeth opens her eyes to find Meliodas standing over her with a huge grin. She screams and jumps into a sitting position, forcing him to scramble out of the way. "Are you all right?" he laughs, kneeling down next to her. He searches her face for a moment before his brows dip slightly. "What did you do, fall off your chair? Did you bang your head?"

She stares at him, unable to move, trying to understand what is happening. Slowly, she looks down at herself, expecting to see the bruises and cuts from the roof collapsing in the Boar Hat. But she is clean, and unharmed, and she sucks in a deep breath before closing her eyes. She is _still_ here, trapped in this place, and Elizabeth is now very, very afraid that this will never end.

"Hey," Meliodas says sharply. His hand cups her face, turning it towards him, and now she sees true concern etched into his features. He searches her face with his eyes, and then a hand strokes the top of her head, his fingers feeling along the scalp. "Are you hurt?"

"I—I'm fine," Elizabeth answers shakily. She takes several steadying breaths as she looks around. "Is this—is this the Boar Hat?"

"Boar Hat?" Meliodas laughs. "What is that supposed to be?" He shakes his head at her confused expression and says, "Come on, let's get you up."

He takes her by the arms and pulls her to stand, and Elizabeth now can truly look around. This is definitely not the tavern, but instead looks like a small but comfortable home. There are stuffed chairs near a fireplace on one end, and what looks like a stove and cabinet on the other. Meliodas pulls out a chair from under a sturdy wooden table and presses her to sit. "I'll get you some water," he says, and Elizabeth can only nod.

Her eyes trace over the things in the home: a vase of yellow flowers on the windowsill, her favorite color; a handwoven rug on the floor between the chairs; a pile of linens folded in the corner. On the top of a cabinet a white and red bird sits and looks at her with a piercing eye. She notices a staircase that leads to upstairs, and she tries to take in everything as Meliodas pulls a glass down from a shelf and fills it with water from a pitcher. "Here," he says as he carries it over, and Elizabeth accepts it gratefully.

Meliodas sits in the chair across from her and gives her a lopsided smile. "Are you sure you are okay?" She nods, but he reaches out and places a hand on her wrist. "You're trembling!"

Elizabeth quickly takes a sip of the water before letting out a slow breath. She is trying to hold back the panic, and must not be doing a very good job at it. "Really, I'm fine," she assures him, surprised that her voice actually works.

"What are you doing here anyway?" he says, rubbing his thumb over her wrist. The feeling of his hand on her makes her lightheaded. Her eyes slide back to him, and now it is her turn to study every inch of his face, searching for some clue. Is this the real Meliodas? Is this another test? Is she here because she has passed, or has she failed so utterly she is doomed to repeat her trials forever? Whatever the answer, she cannot help but feel relief at him sitting next to her, looking at her with love and concern, just like he always does. His stroking thumb soothes her nerves, and she feels her muscles relax, her mouth forming a smile.

"Why are you home?" he says. "Weren't you on duty today and tomorrow on the north wall?"

"On duty?" This isn't the Boar Hat, this is their home, he said… Elizabeth sweeps her eyes around the room again. Could it be that she won him back, and they are together, in the future? But she knows she has never seen this place before, as inviting as it looks.

"Are you sure you're all right, Liz? Maybe I should call a doctor."

At the sound of that name, Elizabeth jolts in her seat. Her heart picks up and begins beating frantically in her chest. "Did you just call me… Liz?"

Meliodas laughs again, although his face betrays his worry. "What else am I supposed to call you? The last time I called you Elizabeth you punched me."

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth!" the bird suddenly screeches, making her jump a mile in her seat.

"Would you shut up?" he calls over his shoulder before turning back to her. He tilts his head as he stares at her again, and then starts to stand. "I'm calling a doctor."

"No!" Elizabeth cries, grabbing for his arm, even as the room spins slightly. He called her Liz, _Liz_ , so this must be Danafor, and this is all those years ago when they lived together… when they loved each other… She cannot stop looking around the room, looking at all the things they must have bought with or made for or given to one another, filling this house as they filled each other's lives.

She looks back at him, trying to keep a calm expression, trying to sound as natural as possible. "I'm fine, I just… I think I did hit my head is all."

"Here, you should lay down." He stands and takes her by the arm, steering her towards the steps. As they walk through the house, Elizabeth notices the touches that must have been made over the years. There's a bit of paint dripped on the floor in one corner, and she imagines Meliodas and Liz painting the walls of their home together. She catches sight of two pairs of boots sitting next to one another neatly by the front door, one of which has laces completely knotted up, much like Meliodas' boots that sat in their closet in the Boar Hat. The bird screeches "Elizabeth!" at her one more time as they walk by, and then they are walking up the stairs, Elizabeth's hand sliding along the smooth wood of the bannister, finally arriving at the door to what she is sure their bedroom.

Elizabeth hesitates, pulling against his arm for a moment, but Meliodas does not notice as he opens the door and pushes her inside. It's a perfectly ordinary bedroom, with a large bed and two dressers and a chair by the window. Elizabeth is led right to the bed, and the next thing she knows she is leaning back on the pillows with Meliodas perching next to her.

"I'm really fine," she insists. "I don't need all this." What she wants is to figure out what her task is, what the next trial could be, to search for a clue as to whether she is succeeding or failing.

Meliodas grins. "Maybe I should examine you myself, then." Elizabeth gasps as he climbs over her, straddling her lap. He runs his hands leisurely over her chest, giving her breasts a squeeze. "Yup, heartbeat all right."

"What—what—" she sputters, and then his hands slide up around her neck. "Yup, pulse is fine."

Her protest dies in her throat as his hands entwine in her hair and pull her slightly forward, because then his mouth is sealed on hers. Elizabeth's hands go immediately to his chest, her fingers curling against his shirt, and she can barely speak or think as he kisses her playfully. His tongue glides along her lower lip before dipping into her mouth, and she gives a startled "oh!" as it strokes along her tongue. Meliodas tugs her forward a bit more as he slants his mouth on hers, and with a final suck on her lips he pulls back. "Temperature is fine too," he teases with a slightly husky tone.

Elizabeth keeps her eyes squeezed shut, her heart racing and her mind spinning. Sir Meliodas had _never_ been so forward with her! All of his pinches and playful touches had never prepared her for such a kiss… but then she remembers he isn't kissing her at all. He is kissing Liz; at least, who he thinks is Liz.

His mouth is working its way along her neck, and her fingers clench against him again as he licks a spot above her collarbone. "Please—I—" Elizabeth can barely speak as his body presses against hers, pushing her back against the pillows, as his hands slide casually down her front to rest on her ribcage.

"Hmm?" he murmurs, his mouth now dancing along the collar of her shirt. Meliodas shifts his body so his knee can nudge her thighs apart, and now he is settled between her legs as his hands start to roam lower. His mouth and his hands and the weight of him on top of her has her mind spinning, her thoughts clouded. Shivers of pleasure shoot out from her core, and reflexively she arches into him, her head tilting back to give him better access to her neck.

"I'm glad you're home," Meliodas murmurs against her skin as his hands travel under her skirt. Elizabeth instinctively tightens her thighs around him as his fingertips brush between her legs. She shudders with another wave of pleasure as they lightly stroke her over the fabric of her panties, moving up and down with an agonizing slowness, the other hand curling around her hip and giving her a squeeze.

His mouth moves back to hers, and now Elizabeth is kissing him back, sliding her lips over his in a frantic passion. All of the turmoil from the past few days comes crashing through her mind, and as he strokes her body, she welcomes the loss of herself as she is swallowed by him. His death, her loneliness, this trial have left her drained, and she kisses him and moves against him and drags her hands along his back in order to fill herself up again with his life and his love.

Then Meliodas groans her name as his fingers slip under the fabric—but it's not _her_ name, it's _Liz's_ name, and Elizabeth seizes up, filled with a sudden shame. "Meliodas," she whimpers, pressing on his shoulders, but he swallows her moan as his hand begins to move.

"Stop!" she gasps, wrenching her mouth away, and Meliodas freezes. He looks up at her with a troubled look. "What's wrong?" he asks.

 _He wants you now_. _He needs you now_. The whisper that sounds so much like her own voice brushes through her mind.

Her chest heaves as she looks at him with wide, fearful eyes. As incredible as this moment is, as loving and tender and passionate as Meliodas has become, Elizabeth is filled a churning confusion. Allowing this to continue would be a lie, as much as she is aching for it to never stop. She can barely breathe, afraid of what he will do when he discovers the truth, and of her own turbulent feelings raging inside of her. "I'm not—I mean—" His face so close to hers, puzzled and searching and tinged with a bit of hurt, causes her to lose her thoughts.

Then his hands move from under her skirt, and Elizabeth breathes a small sigh of relief as he strokes her cheek. "What's wrong? You can tell me."

Before she can, there is the sound of an explosion outside, and they are both jerked from the moment with the terrifying blast. Meliodas turns and looks out the window, but then a horn blares: one, two, three times. Elizabeth does not know what it means, but the ominous sound fills her with dread, and Meliodas is running to look out the window as she shakily sits up.

"Three blasts," he says, his voice taking on an eerie calm. "That means a demon attack."

Elizabeth gasps, and she suddenly realizes why she is here. This is the day that Liz dies.

Meliodas is moving, throwing the door to the closet and pulling out a tunic. When he throws it over his head, he turns and Elizabeth sees a swooping curve across the front, with a dot and a diamond stitched above. "You need to get to your position," he tells her, all the playfulness gone as he assumes his role as Great Holy Knight. He comes around the bed before pulling up short. "Are you going to be all right?"

Elizabeth can only nod, and then he gives her a quick, fierce kiss before hurrying out. "Be careful," he calls back to her, and then he is gone.

There is another blast outside, and Elizabeth is shaken from her daze. She runs to the window and looks outside to find half of the city on fire. How could the destruction happen so quickly? People are running in every direction, screaming, and soldiers hurry through the streets towards what looks like the epicenter of the fight. The air is thick with smoke that is occasionally pierced by flashes of light from magic attacks. Elizabeth's heart seizes in fear thinking of Meliodas running headfirst into the chaos.

But it's not Meliodas she should fear for, she realizes. He is not the one who is doomed to die on this day. She is filled with a sudden sorrow for him, knowing what is to come… but then she thinks, does it have to come at all? Elizabeth knows what will happen, she knows that Liz will die in this battle, but if she can get there in time, then perhaps she can stop it—

Elizabeth bolts from the bedroom, flying down the stairs as fast as she can, but she is stopped when she hears her name. "Elizabeth!" the bird shrills, and she turns in surprise, her mouth dropping open when it continues, "You can save Liz if you go now."

"You can _talk_ —?"

"But if you save Liz," the bird interrupts, "then Danafor will not be destroyed, Meliodas will never go to Lioness. There will be no Seven Deadly Sins, no Boar Hat, no journey for you from the castle. You will never meet him."

Elizabeth stills as a rush of cold shivers through her. Slowly she looks around the room. It is obvious by the easy, comfortable home she is in, by the way that Meliodas spoke to her with concern, the way that he had touched her and kissed her, that Meliodas and Liz are happy together, and there is a tiny twist of jealousy in her stomach that she refuses to allow any further. What the bird says is true—she can't understand just _how_ he knows all this—but if she saves Liz now, she will never have Meliodas for herself. He will stay here with Liz and live a wonderful life with her.

Then she remembers that _she_ is from Danafor as well. Isn't that what she was told? Her mother will die too in this battle, and Elizabeth clutches her hand to her heart. She can go and save Liz, or she can find her mother, and possibly save her. But where to even start looking? The sounds of more fighting, more screaming, are getting louder with each moment, and Elizabeth realizes that finding her mother would be impossible. The only way to save her is to stop Liz from dying, and to stop the destruction altogether. Then she will change not only Meliodas' future, but hers as well; for now she will never be found in the rubble, never taken to her father, never adopted as a princess of Lioness. If she saves Liz, she will lose not only Meliodas, but her father and her sisters and the life she has always known as well.

 _You cannot stop the wheel of fate_ , the voice whispers in her mind. _Danafor will be destroyed either way_.

She shakes her head, not believing it to be true. Elizabeth must do this, she decides; she must risk her own happiness to ensure his.

Out the door she goes, running through the streets, dodging soldiers and the panicked people of Danafor as everyone pours out of the buildings in an effort to get away. They are pushing and shouting, and Elizabeth is knocked into many times. One soldier grabs her, yelling that she is going the wrong way, but she shakes him off as she presses forward, heading towards the noise and the rising smoke.

As she runs she begins to notice the bodies of the wounded lying in the streets, bleeding and broken and some not moving. It reminds her of the task at Lioness, and she hesitates, about to stop and help. But she knows that things will be _worse_ if she does not get to Liz in time, if she does not stop Danafor from being completely destroyed.

The streets are covered in rubble, and the bodies grow more numerous even as the air grows hotter and thick with smoke. Elizabeth is coughing, her eyes burning, as she tries to make her way through the chaos surrounding her. Then suddenly a great thunderclap sounds, drawing another wave of cries from the people, and the clouds seem to open up and rain begins to pour over everyone and everything.

Drenched and shivering, Elizabeth climbs over a pile of stone that used to be a building and finally reaches the heat of the battle. There, in the center of the city, looms a dark figure. It is the size of a giant, with giant claws wielding a black sword and razored horns cresting along its neck and back. She can barely see through the rain, covering her eyes with her arm, but as the creature speaks, the sound of the demon fills her with new terror.

"Stand down, human," it growls. "All of the others are dead."

"Not a chance," the lone Holy Knight answers, and Elizabeth is seized with shock as she hears the voice, _her_ voice, coming from the woman. She cries out a command and a ball of light appears in her hand, aiming it for the demon.

From her position behind the battle, Elizabeth can see the swing of the blade, see the angle clearly as it swipes through the air. She launches herself forward, flying as fast as she is able, and the knight falters in her attack, shouting in surprise at Elizabeth running towards her. "Get out of here!" she screams.

But Elizabeth pushes forward, her lungs aching as she screams, "Liz! Look out!" She only has moments now, and her hands go out and push the woman as hard as she can, just as a horrible, piercing pain slices through her own chest.

Elizabeth feels herself flying backwards, stopping suddenly against a boulder. The rain batters her face as she blinks once, twice, sucking in shuttering breaths. There is no sign of Liz, no sign of anyone else. With horror she looks down and sees the weapon sliced through her body, pinning her to the rock.

She cries out in fear, wondering what she should do, when she hears Meliodas' voice. She looks up and sees him approaching, slowly, cautiously walking through the broken cobblestone, his eyes and mouth open in panic and horror. With a gasp she tries to call his name, but the intake of breath sends a shock of pain through her lungs that leaves her dizzy and winded.

Meliodas stands before her now, and she gives a choking sob, her body shaking from the cold and the shock. The pain is beginning to numb her now, but she can feel herself getting tired as her blood seeps from her body, her lungs unable to take in the oxygen she needs. "Elizabeth," he wails, falling to his knees in front of her, and he cups her face in his hands. "Elizabeth, what have you done?"

She shakes her head, wanting him to understand. "I saved Liz," she whispers, her heart breaking at the look of grief on his face, his eyes starting to brim with tears. She needs him to know that she did this for _him_ , so that he could be happy, so that he could _live_ , even if it is without her. _Lust and pride_ , the voice whispers. _Wisdom and humility_.

"Don't leave me, Elizabeth," he sobs, wrapping his arms around her, burying his face against her neck. She smiles at the sound of his voice saying her name.

Then a new sensation begins. It feels as though her very soul is splintering, and then being pulled terribly, as if someone was yanking it from her body. Her skin feels hot, burning up with every second, and Meliodas pulls back, watching her in alarm. Elizabeth moans, wondering if this is it, if Fraudrin has unleashed his final attack that will eradicate Danafor and everyone in it. But at the last moment, she feels her soul expand, racing towards an explosion, and her last thought is that Danafor will be destroyed, but it is not from Fraudrin, or Meliodas; it is _she_ who will annihilate Danafor with her power.


	5. Wrath

Forgiveness: " _Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven._ " (Luke 6:37)

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Wrath**

Everything is darkness. Elizabeth can not tell if her eyes are open or closed; if the world is in day or night. She lay curled on the cold floor, listening to her own breathing, in and out, in and out.

What day is it? What year? Is she alive, or dead? Awake or asleep? The questions swirl in her mind as she breathes, in and out, in and out.

The trial is over, she knows that now, just as she knows that she failed. There will be no Meliodas; no going home to the Boar Hat; no facing the Ten Commandments and any other dangers with the knowledge that he will be there to fight with her, for her. The questions are gradually replaced by a loop of if-onlys. If only she had tried harder. If only she had understood. If only she had saved King's life. If only she had fought the red demon herself. If only she had not hurt Meliodas so terribly. If only she had let Liz die. If only she had saved Danafor.

Which mistake was it? She wonders as the loop continues, her breathing continues. In and out, in and out, if only, if only.

After hours, days, weeks, years, her muscles begin to ache. She finds this strange, to have aching muscles from lying on the floor; do the dead have aches and pains? Stiffly Elizabeth sits up, stretching her shoulders, slightly dizzy from the complete lack of surroundings.

She reaches out a hand and feels a smooth stone step. Curious, she leans forward, and finds another, and another. Elizabeth begins to climb, slowly at first, then growing more bold. She counts as she climbs, pausing at two hundred for a long rest, and then continuing up and up and up. She takes another rest, then more steps, repeating for hours and hours until she sees something up ahead: a small box of light.

Elizabeth shouts and scrambles up, ignoring the burning in her legs and back and the protests of her lungs. She can feel the daylight on her face and can breathe the fresh air and before she has even realized it, she stumbles out of the doorway and into the street in Cadbury. Heaving, she falls to her knees, laughing and crying at the same time.

On shaky legs she begins to walk, the sun very low in the sky now, signalling that it will be twilight soon. Her heart is heavy with the knowledge that she failed, but she is also relieved to be back in familiar territory and heading home. _Home_. She laughs to herself bitterly. The Boar Hat will never truly be home again.

She climbs up the hill leading from Cadbury, and cannot help the shiver of excitement to see the roof of the tavern exactly where she had left it. Elizabeth pushes forward despite the heavy weariness in her limbs and begins to jog. "Hawk!" she cries out as she reaches the steps, bursting through the door. "Hawk, I'm back!"

There is no answer. Elizabeth walks through the main room, checking the kitchen and storage closet, even the bathrooms, but the pig is nowhere to be seen. She heads towards the steps when the bell above the door chimes. She turns to see Ban and Merlin walk through the door.

"Sir Ban!" she exclaims. "Lady Merlin! What are you doing here?"

"Bad news, princess," Ban says, walking briskly through the room. "We gotta move you out of here."

"Why? What happened?" She steps into the middle of the room and watches the two Sins checking every inch of the tavern, as if looking for something.

"Why aren't you in the Forest of White Dreams?" Merlin asks as she summons her orb. She peers into it as she speaks to Elizabeth. "We had a terrible time tracking you down."

Elizabeth blushes. "I'm so sorry. We had to go and get supplies, and on the way back, we passed by Cadbury… and I thought, that maybe if I found the old woman here, I could figure out a way to bring Meliodas back…" She sighs and hangs her head. "I was given a test, but I failed. I couldn't bring him back."

" _What_ did you just say?" The sharpness in Merlin's voice causes her to snap her head up, and Elizabeth's eyes go wide. Both Sins are looking at her with horror. " _You_ brought him back?"

She begins to tremble, an unexplainable fear beginning to creep under her skin. "No, I failed—I couldn't bring him back—" Elizabeth stutters, shrinking back a step as they continue to stare at her. "What's wrong?" she pleads.

"He _is_ back," Ban practically growls at her. "Meliodas is back, and he's a part of the Ten Commandments again. He's destroying Britannia as we speak."

"No," Elizabeth breathes, clutching her hand to her mouth. What had she done? This is not what she wanted for him, for all of them. Her mind whirls and she stumbles, sitting hard on one of the wooden stools. Meliodas is back—she had passed her test—but how?

Then Merlin is there, gripping her by the arm, shaking her. "Tell me everything," she demands. "Tell me what you've done!"

With a shaking voice, her mind still dazed, Elizabeth recounts her experience, describing the old spell woman arriving in the bar, to the stairs into the darkness; the battle at Lioness, and King's death; the attack on the Boar Hat, followed by her betrayal; finally, the demon at Danafor, and her attempt to save Liz.

There is a long silence when she finally ends her tale, and then Ban says, "Well you've really made a mess of things then."

Tears spring to her eyes, and she chokes, "I—I didn't know—" Her voice falters into a whisper, her heart tearing apart as his words slice through her.

"You shouldn't mess with magic you don't understand," Merlin says just as harshly. "Meliodas does nothing but slaughter innocents, and we cannot stop him. Now there are hundreds of people dead, and it's your fault."

"I'm sorry," she whispers, and the two begin to discuss what to do with this new information. But Elizabeth does not hear a word. Instead, her head begins to pound, thinking about the destruction she has caused. How many innocent people are gone, because of her selfish wish? How many families have been ruined, because she wanted her own back?

 _It's not your fault_ , the familiar voice whispers, causing her heart to seize. Is… is it possible? Could this not be real? But Elizabeth does not have time to consider the idea, because she wants to believe this so badly, that it's _not_ her fault, that she did the best she could.

"It's not my fault," she whispers to herself, and the others cut their conversation at her voice. " _What?_ " Ban bites at her, but Elizabeth looks up at him and says, "It's _not_ my fault!"

"Princess," Merlin begins with a warning tone, but Ban cuts her off. "Don't go easy on her, Merlin," he says angrily, before turning back to Elizabeth. "You did this. You messed with something you didn't understand. Now that _thing_ is out there, killing people, destroying everything. He'll kill us too if we don't figure out what to do."

"That's not what I intended!" Elizabeth cries, standing up to face the tall Fox Sin. "No one told me—they didn't tell me this would happen—"

"That's why you shouldn't have done anything," Merlin says bitterly.

Elizabeth sucks in a deep breath. "I thought I could help. I wanted Meliodas back, I did, and if that is selfish then I'm sorry. If I had known, of course— _of course_ I would have never—but how could I?" She looks wildly between the two, both scowling at her. "How was I to know? How was I to not act, if there was even a chance? How could you expect me to go on without him?" Her voice cracks, and she flushes with embarrassment, but presses on even as the tears begin to prick her eyes. "I _loved_ him. I would have done anything to stop it, and I would do anything to have him back with me."

"And you think we didn't?" Ban shouts. " _I_ was the one who went to Vaizel to save him, princess. _Not_ _you_ , if I recall. _You_ stayed behind."

Her hands grip into tight fists, and she feels her anger rising to the surface. "How could I?" she screams back at him. "How can you say that? You always—he _always_ —" Elizabeth can barely speak, her sobs breaking through, and she falls back into her seat, covering her face with her hands in misery and shame. She remembers clearly the day Meliodas told her that she was no longer needed, that she would not be travelling with them to Camelot. He had broken her heart then, even though she knew he did not mean it. But it was true, wasn't it? She was in the way. She was nothing but baggage.

"Let's go, Merlin," Ban is saying, and Elizabeth squeezes her eyes shut. "She brought this on herself. We can leave her to face this alone."

She hears them walking towards the door, but she must make this right. She must do something. "No!" Elizabeth rushes to stand, running to block their way. "Take me with you."

Merlin shakes her head. "We have enough to do—"

"I can stop him," she says. "Let me try."

The two Sins exchange a look. "How?" Merlin asks.

Elizabeth shakes her head. "If I brought him back, there has to be a way for me to undo this. I need to try at least. Please." They give no answer, so Elizabeth rushes on, "I was able to stop Hendrickson. Let me do this."

Merlin heaves a huge sigh. "I suppose it's possible. You can come with us. But be warned: this Meliodas is a pure demon."

Elizabeth nods with a shaky breath. Then Merlin is snapping her fingers, and the wind rushes around them, and she is falling to her knees, stopping from slamming into to ground with scraping palms. She sucks in a huge breath and looks up, and they are in Lioness, outside of the castle. "We're here," Ban says, standing in front of her, and as she carefully climbs to her feet, she can see and hear the derision he feels.

Slowly she looks around her. The castle walls are in ruins, as are most of the buildings in the city, smoke curling from one or two in the distance. It looks the same way as her first test, and Elizabeth wonders briefly if there are bodies piled in the courtyard. "Meliodas has done all this?" she asks in a tiny voice, suddenly very unsure. How can she possibly stand up to such power?

"This and more," Merlin answers, and Elizabeth must hurry to catch up with them as they stalk through the ruin. They slip between the piles of rubble into an alley, and then through a small door, and Elizabeth finds herself in a little house. Escanor is there, and Gowther, and two dozen Holy Knights, including Howzer. He comes over and takes the princess by the hand, relief on his face. "Princess!" he exclaims. "I'm so glad you are safe."

"Is—what is this?" she asks, looking around. There are a few chairs, and tables, and some of the knights are patching up wounds on each other. Gowther sits and watches curiously from the corner, and Escanor stands crouched behind him, well on his way to becoming a shriveled old man with the looming twilight.

"The last of us for now," Howzer explained. "With the Ten Commandments out there, there aren't many places to hide. We can't hope to fight them in the dark, not without Escanor, so we wait here until it is safe for us to make a stand."

"The… last?" She thinks of King and Diane, and Gilthunder and Margaret. "My family?" Howzer wrinkles his forehead, a pained look on his face, and then he drops his eyes to the floor and shakes his head. Elizabeth is taken with a sudden fit of trembling, and Howzer pulls her to a chair, pressing her to sit.

"Why did you bring her here?" he says to Ban. "It's not safe for her in the city, especially if _he_ finds out."

Ban snorts. "Why don't you tell them, princess?" he sneers, jumping up to sit on a table.

Elizabeth dashes away the tears that are trickling down her cheeks. "I need to stop him," she mumbles, then closes her eyes. "I'm the one who brought Meliodas back."

The knights gasp, many of them rising and crying out, "How?—Why?—How could you do this?—Do you know what you've done?"

"She's betrayed us!" cried another.

Elizabeth shakes her head. "I swear I didn't know this would happen," she says. "But I will try to do my best to make it right. I'll do anything to protect Lioness."

"There's barely a Lioness left," one of the knights grumbles.

Elizabeth looks around at them sadly. To see such brave men so broken down, so powerless, makes her chest constrict. Her family, her friends, her home, her _love_ , all gone… Suddenly the anger swells again. This was not right. This was _not_ supposed to be what happened. Meliodas was not supposed to die. She was not supposed to be alone. Lioness was not supposed to fall.

 _You cannot fight the Sin of Wrath_. Elizabeth picks up her head, her mouth falling open in surprise. _Wrath is too powerful_.

For a moment she holds her breath. She looks at her arm, wanting to pull up her sleeve and see if the map is there. But she cannot. If it is there, and this is _another_ trial, it will crush her. But if it is gone, and this is the truth her actions have brought to Lioness and everyone she loves, then that will be even worse.

Elizabeth stands. Meliodas may be powerful, but she is determined to stop him. She thinks of every time he embarrassed her, every time she felt weak compared to him. She thinks of how he had promised that they would share the Boar Hat together, and then turned around and reneged on that promise. She thinks of her father, who had put so much faith in him, and Gilthunder and the other Holy Knights, who admired him so. She thinks of the other members of the Seven Deadly Sins, her friends, and how they were gone and scattered, all because of his actions.

"Where is he?" she asks the room. The others all stop talking and look at her, the commanding tone in her voice catching them all by surprise. Although she continues to cry silently, there is now a look in her eyes that belies the weak princess they have always taken her for.

"He'll find you," Merlin says, her look only curious. Elizabeth nods, turning and leaving the shelter, stepping out into the slowly gathering darkness.

She makes her way through the streets, memories filling her mind, one after another. The teasing, the touching, the jokes at her expense. The way he frightened her so badly when he fought Helbram, and then Hendrickson, and then Galan. The humiliation of her trial at Ishtar. The way he would tell her to _stay here_ or _run_ when she wanted to be by his side. Why had she dealt with him, his antics and his taunting and the way he made her feel so indebted to him, so inferior? Why had she defended him so many times, from Gilthunder, and Veronica, and even the other Sins?

 _Because you loved him_ , she thinks, and _this_ voice she is sure is her own, which infuriates her even more. She did love him, completely, and he repaid her love by betraying her. He sent her away, dismissed her completely from his life. He lied to her, kept things from her, did not trust her enough to be honest. And then, the ultimate betrayal; he died.

Merlin is proven correct, because Elizabeth is only walking a few minutes when she feels a prickle on her neck. She stops and waits, and then Meliodas is flying to the ground. His eyes are black, and the demon mark on his face has grown, the black ink swirling down his arms and across his chest. He is wearing all black, the Boar Hat uniform gone, and his hair is wild as he looks at her with a sickening grin.

"Elizabeth," he says, and the familiarity of his voice makes her heart skip a beat even as her stomach churns at the dark tinge to his tone. "They've been hiding you from me."

"Why are you doing this?" she says, and to her relief, her voice does not waver.

His smile disappears. "Because I want to," he answers.

"That's not an answer," she retorts. He takes a step towards her, and she puts a hand out. "Don't come any closer!"

Meliodas laughs and moves, and before she can blink he has her in his hands, one twisted painfully in her hair, the other squeezing her even harder on her waist. He pulls her to the ground so she is kneeling in front of him, and Meliodas looks down at her in disgust. "Just another pathetic human you are," he scoffs. "And to think… but it doesn't matter. I'll do to you what I did to the rest." Then he smiles again. "What I did to your father. And your sisters."

Elizabeth trembles in his grip, but to her surprise, she feels no fear. Now that she can look at him in the eyes, the anger she felt from before is gone. The memories of his behavior and his hurtful words and even his death are replaced suddenly by ones of him coming to rescue her from Vivian; his whispered words as she lay in her bed in the castle; the way he looked at her in the maze in Vaizel. She feels only the loss of his love, leaving the sensation of a hole in her chest. Now she understands that he is gone; and now, she knows she can accept this.

"I won't let you do this," she whispers to him.

Meliodas laughs cruelly. "Do you think you can stop me? You? You are nothing, Elizabeth." He practically spits at her as he says, "You only made me weak. Your love for me was pathetic."

"You loved me too," Elizabeth says, reaching up a hand to caress his cheek. Meliodas jerks away from her and squeezes his grip, making her cry out. "You don't have to do this!" she gasps.

"Why not?" Meliodas snarls, squeezing again. She pants for air through the pain, her hands gripping his arms, trying to push him off. "Why should I spare you, or anyone else in Lioness? I protected this country, and all the ones before it. I betrayed my own kind, my own kin. I served and I gave my own blood. And for what?" He twists again; Elizabeth wails again. "To be branded a traitor. To watch her die. To lose everything again and again and _again_." His breathing is ragged and hot against her cheek, and she closes her eyes as they are once again brimming with tears; tears for the pain in his voice and the anger on his face. "So tell me, _Elizabeth_ , why I should spare you?"

Elizabeth whimpers. "I'm so sorry."

"You would have left me too." His voice is in her ear, and she can feel his fingers breaking the skin, digging into her and tearing her apart. "Every time I have you, _you always leave_."

The pain is dizzying, her blood thundering through her body. Stars are forming before her eyes, and she feels him pulling her, her bones cracking, her skin ripping in his hands. She cannot take a breath, his hatred choking the air around her. But even as she screams, a hand manages to go to his face, and she uses the last of her strength to brush her lips on his. "Please forgive me," she says.

Meliodas screams, and Elizabeth cries out as the pain turns numb, and in her mind is a whisper. _Wrath and forgiveness_.

By the time he is finished, her body is torn and broken. Elizabeth takes short little breaths, feeling her life leaving her body. She turns her head to see him walking away. Elizabeth has been left to die.

With the last bit of strength, she lifts her arm, shaking it to let her sleeve, now torn, fall away. Her skin is covered in blood and bruises, but there, right there, is the map. Elizabeth lets out a sob, her mind pressing down on her like a great weight. Has she failed again? Is this real? The other trials ended with her death. Why is she not dying this time?

Her eyes follow the lines on her skin through her tears, and Elizabeth realizes something is wrong. Something is _different_. Her breath catches as she brings her arm closer to examine the picture. _This is not Cadbury_.

Groaning in pain, she rolls to her side and carefully sits up. She is amazed she can move with the damage Meliodas had inflicted upon her. Elizabeth can barely look at her arm, her mind a terrible fog, but when she climbs to her feet in agony, she is certain she is looking at a map of the capital city, _not_ Cadbury.

With shaking steps she walks the empty streets, following the patterns on her skin. A mist is rolling in through the city, covering the piles of stone and wood and brick that are piled everywhere. Although the buildings are gone, she knows these streets by heart, and can remember where the mason shop had been, the tailor, the little school for the children. The shooting pains in her body turn into a dull ache as she stumbles through the streets in the dark. She is amazed she can stand, let alone walk, but as the mist rolls around her feet she feels the injuries less and less until finally, she comes to a door.

It is the only thing left standing from a large building, and Elizabeth cannot quite remember what it was for. The wall is partially gone, and she tentatively looks at her arm, and then looks at the door.

Elizabeth stumbles forward, her hand reaching for the knob, and without hesitation she is turning it and opening the door. She crashes through, the door slamming behind her, and Elizabeth is once again on the street in Cadbury. She moans and turns around, but the little door she had used at the start of her journey is gone.

Her limbs are sore and aching, but Elizabeth runs as fast as she can, climbing the hill just as she had earlier, sucking in deep breaths of the clean air. It is night now, but the moon is full and lights her way as she uses her hands to help her go as fast as she can. Then she spots the Boar Hat, and with a yelp she hurries even faster until she is running up the steps and the sound of the bell above the door makes her heart skip a beat.

"Hawk!" she screams. "Hawk, are you here?!"

"Elizabeth?" She nearly collapses in relief as the pig runs towards her, and she hugs him tightly as best as she can, crying against his ear. "Elizabeth, where have you been? I've been worried half to death!"

"Oh, Hawk," she sobs. "I'm so happy to see you." She buries her face against him, sliding down to her knees, pressing her face into her hands.

"Elizabeth, you won't believe what has happened!" Hawk squeals, but she continues on through her sobs, "I thought I could do it. I thought I could bring him back. And I tried and I tried but I just couldn't—" She stops for a moment as she chokes on another round of sobs. "Hawk, he's not coming back. Meliodas is _gone_. And we—I must find a way to carry on."

There is an unusual silence from her friend, and when she dares to look up, he is searching her with a strange look. "Elizabeth, what are you talking about? Don't you know what has happened while you were gone?"

"Elizabeth?" a voice says behind her, a voice so familiar she nearly faints, and her heart leaps into her throat, her eyes going wide, her breath stopping. Then she yanks up her sleeve and pulls her arm up close, but there is nothing to be seen on her smooth skin.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you all for reading this story. It was difficult in some ways and easy in others, and I hope that you enjoyed this journey with me. I always like to do experiments with my writing, and you are all so lovely to allow me to spread them here.

I would be absolutely negligent if I did not once again thank two amazing people: BettyBest2 and woundedowl. Without them this story would not have happened, and they deserve more thanks than I can squeeze into one author note. The hours they both spent talking and reading and listening were absolutely critical in bringing this story to life. I am proud to call such incredible authors my friends.


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